For over three decades, Sarah Thatcher has worked with children and youth in a variety of roles, all focused on improving their social, physical and emotional wellness.
As a former franchise business owner, athletic coach, multilingual teacher, and community advocate she has spent her time inspiring and empowering the next generation to search for their purpose and find meaning in their lives. Her commitment to helping youth resulted in her nomination in 2005 for a Women of Distinction Award and in 2009 for Top 40 Under 40 in 2009 with the City of Guelph.
Sarah has worked in education for over a decade and for the past five years has been teaching French in the Muskoka region. Since moving to Muskoka she has been raising awareness about issues that impact children and youth in the community. Recognizing that there are many children in Muskoka who go without food on the weekends, led her to begin searching for a way to help solve issues with food security.
She is happy to partner with Food4Kids Ontario to launch the chapter in Muskoka!
Kristie is a natural-born enthusiast for building community which has led her to build three successful online businesses, encompassing solution-based products and services for individuals and businesses globally.
With over 20 years of experience with sales, Kristie’s integrity is always at the forefront of her mind so that she can serve the needs of her clients and the community first, specifically engaging with various initiatives focused on providing children with the necessary tools, guidance and opportunities to unlock their full potential.
Residing locally, Kristie and her builder-husband Morgan made a spur of the moment decision to make Huntsville their home in 2018.
Operations Coordinator
Maria Castillo is a compassionate professional with a strong commitment to community service. With a wealth of experience in program coordination, volunteer management, and outreach, she joins Food4Kids Muskoka as Operations Coordinator, bringing both passion and expertise to the role. Maria has a proven track record in organizing impactful community events, building meaningful relationships, and effectively managing volunteer teams.
Her background spans educational programming, customer relations, and nonprofit work, where she has honed her skills in data management, program optimization, and team leadership. Maria’s dedication to addressing food insecurity aligns seamlessly with the mission of Food4Kids Muskoka. She is excited to contribute to initiatives that ensure children in the community have reliable access to nutritious food, fostering connections and supporting children’s well-being with every effort.
Executive Committee
Michael Fox - Board Chair
John Mesec & Rahim Premji – Co-Vice Chairs
Martin Vuksinic - Secretary
Directors
Shawn Donaldson
Deborah Glendinning
Chair
Michael has 40+ years of experience working with children, youth and community groups, including housing and food security, sustainable community development and government and private sector fundraising to assist in funding the many needs of the community. Michael also has over 4o+ years of experience as an educator and community development practitioner at the K-12 and university levels, and he brings experience in policy development and research; grant writing and administration of millions of dollars for school and community-based organizations, including on-the-ground community volunteer work in food banks, literacy groups, municipal government committees, and volunteer boards.
Michael is excited to join the board of Food4Kids Muskoka so that he might continue working to ensure that every child in the Muskoka region can get the nutritious food they need to live happy and healthy lives.
Co-Vice Chair
Rahim is a Senior Banking Executive with 20+ years of diverse industry experience and a proven track record of setting winning business strategies, building collaborative relationships, and effectively leading change to accelerate enterprise performance.
Away from the office, Rahim is married with three kids, with all of them having interest in sports and outdoor activity. He resides in Markham Ontario, but spend considerable time in Muskoka area, and wants to spend even more time giving back to the community and raising awareness in areas of Financial Literacy (Personal and Small Business), Global Poverty, and Mental Health. Rahim is also a Board Member at the Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce
His passion for Food4Kids comes from a desire to provide children the chance to equitably learn and that proper nutrition can support this. He was inspired by his visit to the Hamilton chapter and the impact it has on the community. Making an impact with Food4Kids aligns with his other endeavours to help children and underprivileged to have the opportunity to be their best selves and prosper.
Secretary
Martin Vuksinic is a building science professional with 30 years of experience, specializing in building envelope analysis and performance contracting. For the past 25 years, he has focused on large-scale retrofit projects across Canada and the United States, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, and from Nunavut to Texas. Martin has called Muskoka home for the last 12 years, recently relocating from Honey Harbour to Huntsville. He has a deep appreciation for the outdoors and nature. He is also passionate about giving to his community. As a member of the board of directors for Food4Kids, Martin will bring his professionalism, experience and dedication to supporting the organization’s mission and making a positive impact in the region.
B.A., L.L.B.
Co-Vice Chair
John is the managing lawyer of local law firm, Thoms & Currie Professional Corporation. John brings a wealth of experience to Food4Kids Muskoka that he has gained working in the public sector prior to becoming a lawyer and in his practice, where John is routinely engaged by not-for-profit organizations to counsel on a variety of issues including corporate governance, financing and acquisitions. Aside from his professional experience, John has been a member of several volunteer boards and charitable organizations over the years.
As a father of three young children, John is passionate about social, economic and political issues that children and young people are faced with overcoming. He recognizes that food insecurity is one of the most challenging social ills of our time and he is keenly aware of the benefits that come with a complete and consistent diet for kids. John is a dedicated member of our team who is honoured to offer his personal and professional skills to advance the goals of an organization that is focused on alleviating food insecurity for one of the most vulnerable demographics in our community.
In his off time, John enjoys exploring the wonderous natural beauty of Muskoka with his wife, Ashley, kids and their two Vizslas.
Director
Deborah recently joined the Board of Food4Kids Muskoka. She is a practicing litigation counsel with 35 years of experience advising corporations on risk management, liability mitigation strategies and coordinating the defense of multi jurisdictional and cross border litigation. She regularly advises boards of directors of public and private companies on various legal, regulatory and commercial issues. She has managed a group of over 125 legal professionals, developed national marketing and strategic plans and has had responsibility for budgets in the range of 100 Mn annually.
For years Deborah has been dedicated to programs promoting youth wellness, community integration and development through sport including as her 2 sons progressed through the ranks of junior hockey. She recently served on the Board of the Paralympic Foundation of Canada for 4 years, including as a member of the Governance Committee. She has been an “almost” full time resident of Muskoka for the last 10 years with plans to be completely full time in the near future. She was introduced to the significant problem of food insecurity in the Muskoka region at the 2025 Food4Kids Muskoka Gala and immediately offered to get involved. She is excited to bring her skills and enthusiasm to the Food4Kids organization.
Director
Shawn Donaldson is one of the Co-Managing Partners of Muskoka Lumber and Proline Rentals & Bins. Being part of the building industry has really been able to highlight and identify the stark difference there is in Muskoka from an economic perspective. When Shawn heard that Food4Kids Muskoka has identified 1,000 kids across the region who may go without food on the weekends, he wanted to jump in and help build a better Muskoka. Shawn has a deep rooted connection to Muskoka and the business community that truly wants to give back; he hopes to help continue to bring our mission to light and help build bridges to a brighter future for kids in Muskoka.
